LAKEPORT— Dr. Charlie Evans, filling in as Acting Public Health Officer for Lake County, was the bearer of bits and pieces of good news at Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors’ meeting. “We’re seeing a constant but steady decline in the numbers of COVID-19 infections consistent with other states and countries,” Evans reported, in a pre-recorded video. While the decline may be a” phenomenon across the world,” he warned, “We must not let our guard down.”
Evans suggested that the virus appears to run in circles. “It seems every two or three months, it goes up then after eight to 12 weeks, the infection rate comes down,” he said. As of Oct. 4, 2021, the number of COVID cases in Lake County was 17 per 100,000, pushing the county down to 34 on the state’s rankings. In July, the county led the state in infection rates at 50 per 100,000.
“We peaked out at 70 per 100,000 in August,” Evans said. “May was our low point at three per 100,000. We need to see if the numbers continue to decline as we move into winter and temperatures drop. This is important as we expect that when people move indoors and the temperatures drop, we will see more transmissions. We’re seeing this in Alaska right now. It has an infection rate of 150 per 100,000, twice our peak.”
Since the start of the pandemic, Lake County lost 97 lives to the virus. Current statistics show that many of those who are dying are much younger that those who died in the beginning of the pandemic. “The process of dying from COVID is a horrible experience,” said Evans, a hospital emergency physician in Sonoma County. “The isolation, the aloneness that the patient feels and the family feels. I see it every day in my work.”
Renewing his push for vaccinations, Evans shared a Tennessee police officer’s story reported in last Sunday’s Santa Rosa Press Democrat. The lawman, who had COVID, reportedly texted a message to his chief, “When I can’t take three steps to a potty chair and I feel like a grizzly bear just choked me out, that’s gotta be the worst feeling in the world.” The message ended with a plea, “You’ve got to tell people to get their shots.” The father of five died two days later. He was unvaccinated.
“Vaccinations are still our ticket to getting out of this pandemic,” Evans said. “We’re doing better. From September 1-25, we had 2,700 new vaccinations, averaging 100 a day. About 60% of eligible people in the county are vaccinated compared to 70% statewide. About 31% (of eligibles) in the county are not vaccinated.”
The turn of events at the Lake County Jail is a success story, according to Evans. “The jail outbreak peaked at 83 cases, with 11 staff members and 72 in custody testing positive for COVID. “We now have only one active case,” Evans said. “We may work out of this outbreak with excessive caution.”
Hospitals, however, are still struggling. As of Oct. 3, 2021, Lake and Mendocino Counties had a combined total of three ICU beds. Sonoma County is not faring much better. “I sometimes wait 24 hours to transfer patients 200 to 300 miles away,” Evans admitted.
He also indicated that schools in the county have experienced numerous cases of COVID but none has closed. Of the 2,000 schools in the state, 12 have closed as a result of the virus. Evans noted that schools deserve a “pat on the back,” for masking, vaccinations, proper hygiene and “the hard work of those serving children in the schools.”
Evans touched on the latest state mandate announced by Gov. Newsom over the weekend – vaccinating all school students against COVID. Evans expects other states will follow California’s lead and that the COVID-19 vaccine mandate will go into effect by January 2022.
With the Pfizer booster vaccine now approved by the FDA (Federal Drug Administration), Evans recommends its use by those who received their initial series of the Pfizer-BioTech vaccine six months ago. The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) has given its OK to make the Pfizer booster vaccine available to those who are 65 and older, are 18 and older who live in long-term care settings, have underlying medical conditions, work in high-risk settings, or live in high-risk settings.
Evans advises that individuals who received the initial series of the Moderna vaccine should not get the Pfizer BioNTech booster vaccine and “to be patient.” He predicts approval of the Moderna booster may come at the end of the month, and may be followed by the Johnson & Johnson booster. Evans is also encouraged by recent reports of the experimental antiviral pill, molnupiravir, developed by Merck and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics. The oral pill reportedly reduces hospitalizations and deaths by 50% and has yet to go through regulatory approval and authorization.
In closing, Evans reminded the public to either get the COVID vaccine or talk to family members about getting the vaccine. “As we move into the winter months, we may see another surge,” Evans said. “The Delta virus is active in the community. If not vaccinated, Delta will find you. It’s easier to get antibodies through vaccination and not through infection. “
He also issued a reminder that flu season is here and the flu vaccine is widely available. Getting the flu vaccine and the COVID-19 vaccine at the same time is not a problem.
